Kelly Date April 25, 2010

Kelly's going on an expoitition to the north ... well the west actually but who's directing.

I'm off again and looking forward to two weeks in Nanaimo before heading out to the Haida Gwaii. I was actually able to leave Nova Scotia early as the housesitting gig fell through and VIU decided to cover the cost of upgrading my flight and hotels. So I will be working at the university this coming week with Nicole and will finish off the federal government's project on amenities-based rural development prior to my departure for Skidegate. Works for me.

So Mr. Finnigan is presently crated up and waiting in the cargo area for the flight. He looked none too happy to be boxed in, but he will be fine and I will catch up with him again in Vancouver. As for me, I will be seeking out a space to catch a nap. I was so excited about getting underway that there was little sleeping that occurred last night. Yeesh, I was up at 3:30 and tossed all night long.

Susan picked me up at 5:30 for the drive to the airport and I was ready to go - packed, stacked, and sacked. Fin was nervous and unsure what was going on until I said the magic words "Wanna go see Randy and Dozey", and then he was all excited. Two of his favourite peoples on the planet. Thanks to Susan for the ride to the airport, which is a major pain as it take a full hour to make the drive and then of course the drive back not discounting the fact that one has to get up at 4:30 in the morning to make it all happen. I owe her big time.

So I will be blogging more frequently for the duration of the trip and journalling about my adventures in the Haida Gwaii. I have the camera with me so will be posting wondering pictures for you to ooh and ahh over so stay posted. I've also purchased a video camera so will post a few clips here and there so you get a sense of the place. Hopefully, I will be able to avoid the bears up close and personal, but if I do happen to see some will include that on the blog for sure.

John might be able to stop in and visit enroute to Whitehorse mid June. If he does we have plans to go sea kayaking and maybe a tour or two. Should be fun.

So stay in touch and check back often as I will be doing some serious adventuring lol. Have a totally awesome day. Me.

Kelly Date April 18, 2010

It's been a bit of a quiet week, but I did manage to get a few things accomplished. The main thing was finishing up an online survey for John which we had been working on for some time. Nice to get it inched along a little further. I did get a few things done for my trip as I had expected to be house sitting this week and didn't think I would get to it while away. However, the mini-vaca from my present lodging to another has been postponed as John and Susan's trip to Britain has been cancelled. I guess the volcano in Iceland has put things off for a time. Aw well, I guess I get to hang out here for another two weeks instead.

Nicole will be here next week from Vancouver Island University to work on our project, which should help make the time go by quickly. Hopefully, that will bring my work on that project to an end and I can spend my last week here focused on getting ready for the trip back to the west coast. Even though John and Susan will be here, they have agreed to have a dinner regardless so it will be fun on Tuesday for everyone to get together. Very nice of John and Susan to have Nicole in their home even though it was supposed to me doing the hosting. I guess I'll be buying the fixings though so we can have a nice sit down. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate.

So overall a quiet week, but fun nonetheless. The weather has been a bit cold and the nights seem to go below freezing. I was half expecting it to snow today, which is making the west coast sound even better. Can't wait to go back home if even for a few days. I'm looking forward to seeing my friends and Chelsey. Anywho, have a great week. Enjoy!

The picture I chose to include this week is from walk I went on recently. I went along the dykes for about 16 kilometers and this is one of the gates I found at the end of the trail. It was a glorious day and I enjoyed the time out in the sun very much. The pastures are starting to come alive with the warmer weather and it's a delight to wander along the dykes (sea wall) and take it all in.

Kelly Date April 11, 2010

Hello Everyone!

It's been a relatively slow week for me, but this is good as I was down with a horrible cold. Right up until Friday and Saturday I was not a happy camper in the slightest. Yeesh, I absolutely hate being sick - the stuffed nose, the coughing, the blowing - all of it - hate it - hate it! The weekend did go a little better though and I actually got out of town Sunday afternoon and took a drive down to Avonsport, Greenwich, and Hantsport. It was a nice day out, but the wind was really blowing, which made it seem a lot colder than it was.

I did find a nice beach to hang out at - Blue Rock Beach. It was a shale beach and must have been at least six miles

long. Fin and I had a great time wandering along the shoreline and we even had a beautiful view of Blomidon Point off to the south east. Some of the pictures are really quite nice and I have included several from Greenwich, Avonport, and Hantsport to give you an idea of whatthe area looks like. Most of the places we visited looked out over the Bay of Fundy and the tide was coming in so the colour of the water is a rich ochre red.

It was nice at Blue Rock Beach as it was sheltered from the wind and it was incredibly warm. The shale was so beautiful - miles and miles of it and a lovely deep grey colour. You could have driven up with a truck and carried tons of it away for a patio. Not that I would recommend it as the shale seems to suit the place where it is presently located ha. The idea of a shale path or patio is appealing, but the shale seems to be there for a reason - to make a fantastic beach. The best part was the crunchy sound it made every time you took a step. Very neat.

I've actually taken a number of pictures of the spring flowers this week. The crocuses are out in full bloom and I'm really surprised at how many there are - they seem to be everywhere and come in so many wonderful colours. I especially like the whites and blues. The trees are started to leaf out and you can see everything coming back to life - winter pushed aside for long summer days and swimming. Many of the garden centres are opening up again and restaurants closed for the season are in full swing. Spring is areally busy place around here and I've seen so many people out in their gardens getting ready for the new season.

I am getting excited about going back to the west coast. Three more weeks and I'll be heading out for Nanaimo and then the Haida Gwaii on the 4th and 9thof May respectively. I will be housesitting for John and Susan for two weeks as well, beginning on the 19th of April and right after that I shall make my escape. I can wait to Chelsey and Rose and Randy and visit my old haunts.

Should be fun! Have a great week - catch ya later.

Kelly

Kelly Date April 4, 2010

It was a great day here in Wolfville. I think the temp hit 25 degrees and at 3:30 I had had my fill of homework and decided to take Finnigan and myself out for a walk. So we packed up the camera, a small snack, water, and kleenex as I have a cold and off we went. There are a series of hikes and beaches just south east of here that I wanted to go back to and explore.

Okay, 16km is much further than it might seem. However, Finnigan and I enjoyed a wonderful two hour hike out on the dykes this afternoon with the sun blazing and the wind blowing gently off the Bay of Fundy. The farms and fields in the background were stunning and it made for a perfect Easter Sunday in Nova Sccotia. Actually, I think Finnigan was more glad to see the car than I was but my first pit stop thereafter was the local pub for some wings and wine. Sounded like a good idea at the time lol.

We passed an old grave yard along side the road that I'm sure nary gets a visitor, old farm gates, and views that lookout out onto the Bay of Fundy that were stunning. I thought that we'd be able to loop around and back onto the road at some point but that was a mistake. Making several

attempts to cross farmer's fields and back onto the main road when awry and we ended up doubling back the exact same way we had gone to get back to the car. Aw well, it was beautiful regardless but a very long walk.

There were some ducks out on the flats that were too far out to get good pictures of, but at low tide they looked very happy to be plunking around in the muck looking for their next meal. Finnigan is was oblivious to it all

poking around the path sniffing everything of the slightest interest and stopping every once in a while to look back and see if I was still coming. Once so satisfied, he would tear off down the path to the next delight. Silly puppy. I'm betting he's asleep before we hit the highway on the way back home lol.

The night before I decided to go to what was billed as "Get Your

Barn On", a night of good music and good times.

As I had never before been to a barn dance I was mightly intrigues and decided to pay the prescribed $10 entrance fee and see w

hat it was all about. A group of home grown Annapolis boys were home from Montreal and making the rounds for family and friends. Hillbilly music a la carte, but it was fun and noisy. I on the other hand got a headache and had to depart early.

But it was fun and overall I had a great week and the weather has improved greatly. I have of course another busy week and I'll be one week closer to leaving for the Haida Gwaii. Yeah. Should be fun lol.